The Lincolne Letters

The letters were a chance discovery by Helen Wolvey in 2015, when her cousin was de-cluttering her flat in Southwold. They were found, stored in ‘Uncle Billy’s Box’, a First World War ammunition box. The letters were written by the Lincolne family who owned a large grocery and drapery store in the Halesworth between 1816 and 1850.

The letters are rare because they include complete chains of letters both from the writer and replies from the recipient. They also have wider historical relevance as they reflect the views, hopes and aspirations of the aspiring middle classes in the early Victorian era. The Lincolnes were well educated and the standard of the letters and their language is superb, some have beautiful copper plate writing, whilst others are “cross written” making them hard to transcribe They give us an fascinating insight into Halesworth life in the 1830s and 1840s. In the ammunition box there were some very rare early photographs of the family and other memorabilia from the family.

The Museum has a display showing some of the Lincolne family history with examples of the letters, photograph and other memorabilia. Helen Wolvey and David Wollweber have co-authored a book on the letters, opening a view into late Georgian and early Victorian life in Halesworth.

The Halesworth & District Museum want to make these letter widely available to the general public and to conserve and preserve them for future generations. The first phase is to place transcripts of these letters on-line linked to an index.

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